Saving Behaylu: Boy needs bone marrow transplant

STRATHAM — A Stratham boy will be reunited with two of his siblings from Ethiopia next week when they arrive for a bone marrow transplant they hope will save their brother's life.

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By Jason Schreiber

seacoastonline.com

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Apr. 18, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Apr. 18, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

STRATHAM — A Stratham boy will be reunited with two of his siblings from Ethiopia next week when they arrive for a bone marrow transplant they hope will save their brother's life.

Two months after he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, 13-year-old Behaylu Barry is preparing for next month's transplant made possible by his brother and sister, who are expected to arrive in Stratham on Tuesday after a long journey from their home in Ethiopia.

Behaylu's adoptive parents, Aidan and Midori Barry, turned to his birth family in February shortly after the diagnosis was made and they realized that the only cure was to find a donor match for a transplant.

The Barrys adopted Behaylu in 2007 when he was 6-years-old. They eventually located his birth family and traveled to Ethiopia two years ago to meet them.

Behaylu, a seventh-grader at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham, was the middle child in an African family that relinquished him because of brutal poverty and hunger.

His five siblings were tested to see if they were match. His sister, Eden, 9, and brother, Rediat, 16, were both perfect matches and will travel to New Hampshire with Abel Solomon, a director at Selamta Family Project, an organization that assists Ethiopian families.

U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen wrote a joint letter to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to speed up the process of getting non-immigrant visas and passports to allow the siblings to travel to the United States for the transplant.

"Their two offices worked together to make sure we got all the applications. It's really a shining example of what New Hampshire is about," Aidan Barry said.

Shaheen also made a personal call to the embassy and Ayotte contacted the Barrys.

"They both really went to bat for my son. It's remarkable that they made the effort," he said.

Eden and Rediat plan to stay with the Barrys for the next month before returning to Ethiopia.

"They're going to live with our family and are going to be a part of our family," Barry said.

The two will be evaluated at Boston Children's Hospital to determine which will be the best fit to be a donor.

After a two-week preparation period, the transplant will likely take place in early May at Children's Hospital.

In the meantime, Behaylu must continue his weekly blood transfusions that began soon after his diagnosis.

The Barrys have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from the community since news of his illness spread.

"All of the support he's getting has really given him great strength to face this with humor and optimism," Barry said.

Fund-raisers have been held to help the family and more are planned.

A comedy night fund-raiser called "Magic & Smiles for Behaylu," sponsored by Bauer Performance Sports and Access Sports Medicine, will be held on May 8 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Sheraton ballroom in Portsmouth. The event begins with appetizers, a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by magician Bob Fellows and Steve Scarfo.

Tickets can be purchased through www.anniesangels.net under "Magic & Smiles for Behaylu."

A blood drive will also be held at the Stratham Community Church on April 23 from 12 to 5 p.m. The Barry family will receive credit if donors mention Behaylu's name.